Power-transmitting mechanism.



UNITED STATES PATENT onirica.

JOHN BARAGWAN ATH KING, OF PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND.

' POWER-TRANSMITTING MECHANISIVI.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Apulication filed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,883.

To all whom it may concern,.- Be it known that I, JOHN BARAGWANATH KING,a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain andIreland, residing at Plymouth, county of Devon, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Power-Transmitting Mechanism, ofwhich the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in and relating topower-transmitting mechanilrn, more especially for automobiles'and theHeretofore the practice has generally been in providing for change fromone speed to another to throw 4one set of gearing out of engagement andby means of clutch devices the fore engine.

or the like to bring into operation another set of gearmg of increasedor vdecreased ratio, which sudden change is accompanied by exe `cessivej ar of the machinery.

N ow the object of my present invention is to obviate this disadvantageand to provide for gradual change from one s eed to another by operatingthe main shaft t irough differential gearing from independent enginesrunning at different speeds, so that the variation of'trans- .mission isobtained by varying the speed of one of the engines.

To this end my invention consists, broadly, in arranging two independentengine-shafts rotating at different speeds and driving-the maindrive-shaft through differential gears, one set of dierential gearsbeing carried ony the main drive-shaft and the other on theengine-shafting.

y The invention is illustrated, by way of ex? ample, in the accompanyingdrawing, the iig? if ure of which is a sectional plan showing thelimproved gearing.

In carrying my invention into practical ef- -fect I arrange twoenginesside by side, with the shafts preferably in line. The said en- ,ginesrun normally at different speeds, and

the rear engine, in order to balance the fore engine,.will run atone-third of the speed of As shown, the rear-engine shaft A is in directline with the fore-engine shaft B, and parallel thereto is arranged themain drive-shaft O, which may extend to the rear axle of the automobileor may itself form a part thereof.

D and E are the crank-chambers of the respective engines, and in thepresent instance t ere is shown cast in 'one piece therewith anintermediate chamber or gear-box F.

cured to the pinion I is the loose spur-wheel- L. A second spur-wheel M,having the same number of teeth as the Wheel L, is keyed to therear-engine shaft, and said s ur-wheels M y and L mesh with spur-wheelsi and O, both Meshing a so with the inof the same size and carried looseon the.

main drive-shaft O. Fast on the shaft C is the carrier P for thedifferential pinions Q .7o and It, which mesh with'pinions N and O',-

fixed to the spurjwheels' N and O,re spec tively.

U and V are the iiy-wheels of the fore and rear engines, and thebrackets for bolting the casting to the car-framework are represented bW.

yThe operation of the gear is as follows: When the fore-engine shaft Brotates at three times the speed of the rear-engine shaft A- that is,iat three times the s eed of the carrier G-fthepinions J and K rollII-jand I, the pinion I rotating at the same speed as the shaft A, butin the reverse direction. `The spur-wheel L, which is secured to thepinion I, is rotated in the reverse direction to the engine-shafts, andaccordingly the spur-wheel O is turned in the opposite direction-thatis, in the same direction as the engine-'shafts-and carries therewiththe pinion O', which rotates with the differential pinions Q and R. Therear-engine shaft rota'tes the spur-wheel M, and the loose spurover thepinions wheell N and pinion N' are accordingly rol tated in the oppositedirection trtheengineshaft. Asthe pinions N and O thus rotate at thesame speedin opposite directions, the carrier P stands still. .When therear engine is accelerated, the increased rotation of the spur-wheel Nand pinion N causes the carrier P to rotate in the same direction asvthe pinion N and therewith rotates the main drive-shaft. When the rearengine is retarded below the normal of'one-third speed, 'the maindrive-shaft is similarly rotated in the opposite direction. v

In place of the spur-gearin connecting the main drive-shaft andengine-sIiafts chain-andsprocket gear may be substituted.

It will thus be seen thatA by the above-der ro IOC erative control ofthe saidlengines, giving an elastic 'connection iwithout theintervention of rigid chan egear mechanism, as commonly ado ted. I

While I ave herein shown and described the gear connections of theshaftsas toothed gears, it Will be understood that I do not Wish tolimit myself to toothed ears, as any form of elastic connection Whiccould perform the function of a differential gear would come Within thescope of my invention.

Having now descr-ibed'my invention,wha't I claim, and desire to secureby Letters'Patent of the United States7 is- 1. In combination, a-pairof-engineshafts, differential gearing connecting'said shafts, adrive-shaft, and differential gearin A'therefor operatively connectedWith one o? said engine shafts and With differential gearing therefor; i

l.. llt..

2. In combination, -.a pair of engine-shafts7 l ed with the other.

3. In combination, a pair of alined engineshafts, differential gearingoperatively connecting said shafts, a drive-shaft, and differentialgearing therefor directly connected 4with one of said engine-shafts andalsol With the differential gearing therefor.

`-In testimony whereof I have signedmy rname to this specification thepresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

JOI-IN l, BA-RAGWAN ATH KING.

Witnesses tWALLACE FAIRWnA'rHER,

J No..ARMs'rRoNG, Junr.

